Introduction
by ElizaMitchell
Summary: Post-Day 4 AU fluff. Almeida baby cuteness.


The door opened and a curly-haired little boy was first to tentatively step into the room, holding tightly to his father's hand as he did. Michelle smiled at her eldest son. "Hi, Anthony."

He hesitated, frozen in place for a second as his eyes caught sight of the tiny bundle in his mother's arms. "Is that my brother?"

Michelle nodded, willing him to come closer, to not be intimidated by the fact that she was in a hospital bed hooked up to an IV. "He can't wait to meet you."

A smile stretched across Anthony's face, lighting up his still babyish features. He let go of Tony's hand and moved toward the bed, eyes peering up over its edge as he anxiously searched for a way up onto it. Tony was behind him instantly, using his free arm that wasn't holding their daughter to lift Anthony onto the bed beside Michelle.

"Careful, buddy," he reminded. He'd warned their older two children on the drive to the hospital that Mommy was tired and sore and the baby was very little, so they would all have to be extra gentle with them.

"Guys, this is your little brother, Mason." She beamed proudly as she said the words she'd been dying to say since the minute she first held their new son.

"Hi, Mason," Anthony cooed, nestling closer into Michelle's side. Then he flashed his little six-year-old grin and looked up at her. "I told you that was my brother in your tummy, didn't I, Mom?"

Both Tony and Michelle chuckled and she kissed the top of his head. "Yes, you did, baby." Anthony _had_ been adamant about the fact from the beginning, refusing to believe he could possibly be getting another little sister when he already had one. Maddie had mostly followed her brother's lead, asking about her baby brother constantly, but, in truth, she would've been delighted either way.

Michelle glanced up at her wide-eyed little girl, admiring the picture she made with her arms encircling Tony's neck, quietly observing. "Tony, there's room for her on my other side."

Her husband came around to the opposite side of the bed and carefully set their daughter down next to Michelle. "Are you comfortable?"

"Yeah, we're good," she assured him, turning her attention toward their Maddie. "Hi, sweetie."

The four-year-old's cheeks dimpled in response, and she craned her neck to catch a better glimpse of the little person who had just replaced her as baby of the Almeida family. "That's baby Mason?"

"This is him."

"He's pink," she noted matter-of-factly.

Michelle giggled weakly. "You're right, he is pink."

She watched her daughter gasp softly, pointing to the newborn's dark head. "Look!" Her voice rose as she said the word, as if there was some big scandal she was about to expose. "His hair isn't curly."

Michelle lightly stroked the downy fuzz on Mason's head. While the curliness of Anthony's had been evident from the moment he was born, the little hair that Mason had was smooth and straight. "You're right, it's not like Anthony's, is it?"

"Did they give you the wrong baby?"

Michelle shared an amused look with Tony as they pictured Maddie's theory, the stork switching their tan, curly-haired baby for the pink, smooth-haired child in her arms. "No, Madelyn, this is definitely your little brother."

"Do we get to keep him?"

She laughed again. "Yes, we're taking him home."

"Now?"

"Well, Mason and I have to stay here a little longer. Just until the doctor says we're ready to leave." She noticed Anthony delicately running his index finger over the catheter in her right hand. "We'll probably go home tomorrow morning. Are you excited?"

"Yeah!" Maddie squealed, but added seriously, "I don't like it when you're not there to tuck me in at night."

That last admission stung a little; Michelle didn't like being away from her kids any more than they liked being away from her. Even through all the excitement, she'd missed them these past few days. "I don't like it either, sweetheart. Just one more sleep, okay?"

Maddie nodded her little head reluctantly. "Okay. But guess what."

The smile returned to her tired face. "What?"

"Me and Anthy made cookies with Grandma."

"Really?" They had called her mother as soon as Michelle had felt the onset of contractions, and thankfully she'd been gracious enough to come over in the middle of the night to look after the kids until the baby was born and Tony could stand leaving the hospital to return home. "I bet they were a lot better than Mommy's, huh?"

A devilish grin—perfect duplicate of her father's—crept up her face and lit up her brown eyes. "Yes."

She heard her older son's familiar cackle and turned to look at him. "And what are you laughing at, Mister?"

"Mason has chubby cheeks," he giggled innocently.

He was definitely a chunky little one, their Mason. That fact, combined with Michelle's age and small stature, made bringing him into the world via cesarean section virtually unavoidable. The extra recovery time in the hospital hadn't bothered her too much, though. It was nice being able to bond with the newest person in her life without having to worry about household duties and other little ones to care for. Still, she was looking forward to finally being home.

Tony leaned back in his chair, taking in the scene before him. His family cuddled up on the bed in the brightly lit hospital room, his beautiful wife glowing as she responded to whatever off-the-wall comment one of their kids made. The way she was still gorgeous in a polka-dotted hospital gown, with her tired eyes and post-baby weight, and those messy auburn curls tucked behind one ear. The four of them were, and always would be, his whole world. They were the reason his life had any meaning at all, and he loved them with everything he had.

His heart beat a little faster in his chest when he heard her ask, "Do you want to hold him, Anthony?"

The boy only hesitated for a second before nodding ecstatically, unleashing a toothy grin as he held out his little arms with anticipation.

"All right, sweetheart, just be really gentle, okay?" Michelle emphasized, making sure he understood the responsibility he was taking on. "Remember, he's a lot smaller than you. He's very breakable."

"I won't break him," Anthony promised earnestly.

Her eyes connected with her husband's. "Tony."

He was at Anthony's side before she could even ask for his help, aiding in handing their newest addition off to his older brother.

"Oof," Anthony grunted. "You're heavy, Mase."

Tony was still fussing over him, making sure Anthony had the little head and neck supported before finally stepping back to look at them. His little boy cradling his newborn son as his wife wrapped her newly free arm around their daughter... They were so perfect. He felt his breath hitch and his hand impulsively dove for the camera in the pocket of his hoodie.

The photo he took in that moment would be his favorite until the day he died.

"This is your big brother, Anthony," Michelle murmured softly to Mason, her voice just above a whisper. "Anth, I bet he remembers what you and Maddie sound like."

"Do you remember me, baby? I talked to you when you were still growing in Mommy's belly." He waited in vain for Mason to show some sign of consciousness, the baby's eyes still closed serenely. Making the switch from his mother to big brother hadn't seemed to have disturbed him. "Is he sleeping?"

"I think he's just resting." She felt the subtle poke of a little finger tapping her shoulder and shifted to face the source of the prodding. "What is it, sweetie?"

"Your tummy's not big anymore," her baby girl observed.

Michelle ran her fingers through the wispy, dark waves on Maddie's head and chuckled. "You know, I thought I felt a little less round lately."

"That's 'cause baby's not in there anymore. Now you won't be tired all the time," she added cheerfully.

Michelle tried to gauge whether or not Maddie was genuinely concerned about her health or just missed playing with her mom as frequently as she had before the pregnancy started slowing her down. Though the latter was probably true also, she _was_ her father's daughter. Tony lived to make sure Michelle was okay, and somewhere along the line both of their children had picked up on that. "Mm, I'll still be tired for a while, sweetheart. The baby will be waking me and Daddy up lots during the night."

"Oh..." Her little eyebrows knit together as she searched for a different silver lining. "But now you can carry me around again, right?"

"Not if you keep growing this fast," she teased, rubbing her nose against her daughter's and dropping a loving kiss on her cheek.

Mason's eyelids fluttered then and he started to cry, startling his older brother. Michelle came to his rescue immediately, lifting the wailing infant into her arms as a clearly disheartened Anthony cried, "I'm sorry!"

"No, no, buddy, it's not your fault," she reassured him, her hand smoothing small circles on his back as she rocked Mason in her other arm. "You were great. I'm sure he's just hungry."

Tony leaned down to steal a sweet taste of her lips. "I'll take them downstairs," he offered, scooping Maddie up again.

"Thanks, honey."

He helped Anthony down from the bed, taking his hand in his. "We're gonna go for a walk while Mommy feeds Mason, a'right?"

She watched them go, her heart bursting with love as her little girl waved on the way out. Mason gradually started to calm down as she rocked him and when he quieted her ears picked up voices down the hall.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we watch baseball when we get home?"

She detected an audible smile in Tony's voice when he replied, "Sure, buddy."

"Hey, know what I just remembered?"

"What's that?"

"Mase can watch the Cubs play tomorrow!"

She couldn't see through walls, but she could just see the look on Tony's face.


End file.
